Side-ballast unloading-plow.



J. SUGGITT.

SIDE BALLAST UNLOADING PLOW.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19. 1913.

1,088,846, Patented Mar. 3, 1914.

COLUMBIA PLANQUE/mn C0.. w/(s c.

uNiTED srATEsQPATENT OFFICE.

JOI-IN SUGGITT, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

SIDE-BALLAST UNLOADING-PLOW.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Jol-1N SUGerrr, a citizen of the United States, residingat Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Side-Ballast Unloading-Flows; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to plows for unloading gravel or other such material, in bulk, from either flat cars or cars commonly known as ballast cars, having `outwardly swinging doors. As is well known, a plow of this type is mounted on the car farthest from the locomotive of a loaded train and connected to the locomotive by a long pulling cable. Vhen it is desired to unload the train, the locomotive is uncoupled and moved away from the train, thus drawing the plow over the cars and scraping the loaded material therefrom.

This invention provides an extremely simple and eficient plow of this type constructed in such a manner that, by adjusting the nose thereof so as to project laterally from the plane of either of the scraper blades, it will deliver or scrape the material on the cars either to the right or left of the track, depending upon the position of the nose. The improved plow is also made transversely adjustable.

To the above ends, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of the improved plow in working position on a flat car, some parts of said car being broken away; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the improved plow as shown in Fig. 1, some parts being broken away; Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, taken on the line m3 m3 of Fig. 1; Fig. l is a plan view of the front end of the improved plow with the nose turned in reverse direction from that shown in Fig. 1, some parts being broken away and some of the exposed parts being shown in section, Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another form of the improved plow, some parts being broken away, and

some of the exposed parts beingshown in Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led May 19, 1913.

Patented Mar. 3, 1914. Serial No. 768,531.

section; and Fig. G is a plan view of the improved plow, as shown in Fig. 5.

The numeral 1 indicates, as an entirety, a flat car, with the exception of the side stakes 2, which are removably seated in pockets 3 formed in the platform of the car 1, just inside of the longitudinal edges thereof.

Referring now to the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the rearwardly diverging scraper blades 5, are secured to a head block 25 having a single forwardly projecting heavy hinge lug 26 and a central horizontally extended opening 27. A laterally adjustable nose 28, which is Vshape in horizontal section, is pivotally -secured to the head block 25. This nose 2S is provided with a pair of rearwardly projecting vertically spaced hinge lugs 29, which embrace the hinge lug 26 and are pivotally secured thereto, by a heavy hinge bolt 30, passed through vertically alined perforations formed in the lugs 26 and 29. Integrally formed with the upper hinge lug 29 is a horizontal rearwardly projecting lock lever 31, provided for holding the nose 28 in different lateral adjustments from the plane of either side of the scraper blades 5. The lock lever 31 is secured in either of its extreme positions by a lock pin 32, and coperating vertically spaced pairs of opposite lock lugs 33 integrally formed on the inner walls of the head block 25, as best shown in Fig. 6. The lock pin 32 is adapted to be i ner irons protect the outer faces and lower edges of the scraper blades 6 against wear from Contact with the car body 1 and car stakes 2, as the plow is drawn over the car l, during the process of unloading the same.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the nose 9 is secured in a position which adapts the improved plow to unload material from the car to the right thereof. By turning the nose into the position shown in Fig. et, the plow is converted into a left hand plow.

Gbviously, it is very easy to change the plow from a right hand toa left hand plow, as it is only necessary to remove the pin 12 and turn the nose 9 the other side up. To shift the plow from one side to the other of the car 1, it is only necessary to throw the intermediate portion of the draft cable over one of the car stakes on the opposite side of the car from which the plow is placed, and then start the engine forward a distance suflic'ient to pull the front end of the plow to the opposite side of the car.

Secured to the rear vertical edge of each scraper blade, 6 by a hinge 15, is a rearwardly extended laterally movable scraper blade extension 16. Each of these scraper blade extensions 16 is yieldingly held in normal position by means of a coiled spring 17 mounted on a nut equipped bolt 18 which is seated, for endwise movement, in a transversely extended sleeve 19 formed at the rear end of a lever 20. The levers 2O are intermediately pivoted at 21 to a horizontally extended cross bar 22 secured, at its ends, to the scraper blades 6. Extended transversely through the forward end of each lever 20 is an adjusting` bolt 23, the head of which bears against the adjacent inner face of the scraper blade 6.- 'Ihese bolts 23 are held in different horizontal adjustments in the levers 2O by means of pairs of opposing nuts 24E having screw threaded engagement with said bolts and engaging opposite sides of the levers 20. The coiled springs 17 are compressed between Vthe blades 16 and the adjacent ends of the sleeve 19.

By adjust-ing the nuts of the bolts 18, the tension of the springs 17 may be varied, at will. The nuts 24 may be adjusted on the bolts 23, to set the scraper bladeY extensions 16 in different angular adjustments with respect to the scraper blades 6. By means of the scraper blade extensions 16, the width of the improved plow may be transversely adjusted to accommodate the plow to different widths of cars. rlhese scraper blade ex tensions 16 may also be set in positions to extend between the car stakes 2, thus scraping all of the dirt from the car platform. As the plow passes the stakes 2, the springs 17 will yield and permit the scraper blade extensions 16 to pass said car stakes. This scraping of the dirt from the car platform between the car stakes is important, as it prevents the dirt from freezing on the car platform in cold weather. With the plows now in use, it is necessary to shovelthe dirt by hand fro-m the car platform between the stakes each night during freezing weather,

for the reason that the frozen dirt interferes with the operation of the plow.

lside of the scraper blade.

In some instances, it might be desirable to make the nose of the plow V-shape in horizontal section and pivotally secure the same to the head block t. In this construction, suit-able means will be provided for holding the nose locked inoperative positions, to project laterally from the plane of either The above described device is extremely simple and saves a great deal of time in changing the plow from a right to a left hand plow and vice versa and in scraping the dirt from the car platform between the car stakes.

That I claim is:

1. A plow for unloading cars having a laterally curved nose that is shiftable from one position to another with respect to said plow.

2. A plow for unloading cars having a laterally curved reversible nose, said plow and nose-having interlapping lugs, and means detachably connecting said lugs.

3. A plow for unloadingy cars having a laterally curved reversible nose, said plow and nose having perforated inter-lapping lugs, and .a lock pin insertible through the p'erforations in said lugs.

t. A plow for unloading cars comprising a head block, rearwardly diverging scraper blades secured to said head block, a reversi ble nose, said head block and nose having interlapping lugs, and means detachably connecting said lugs.

5. A plow for unloading cars comprising a head block, rearwardly diverging scraper blades secured to said head block, and a reversiblevnose detachably secured to said head block.

6. A plow for unloading cars comprising a head block, rearwardly diverging scraper blades secured to said head block, and a laterally curved reversible nose detachably secured to said head block. K j

7. A plow for unloading cars having rearwardly diverging scraper blades, and a nose reversibly mounted with respect to said scraper blades.

8. A plow for unloading cars having rearwardly diverging scraper blades, and a laterally curved nose reversibly mounted with respect to said scraper blades.

9. A plow having rearwardly diverging scraper blades, and a laterally adjustable nose.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN SUGGITT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing pthe Commissioner nf Patents. Washington, D. C. 

